| Just a short while earlier, Zeno had been homeless and penniless and now he was advising kings. Cleanthes was a manual laborer whose humility earned him standing ovations from passing Athenians and then took over the Stoic school. Arius and Athenodorus both earned the ear of Augustus, the first emperor of Rome. Hadrian would stop by Epictetus's classroom and notes from those lectures would find their way to his successor, Marcus Aurelius—a former slave entering the hearts and minds of the most powerful men in the world. What's so remarkable about it isn't just that the Stoics were humble men who were invited into the halls of power and influence, it's what a profile they cut while there. See a man diligent in his business, says the Bible, and he shall standeth before kings. The Stoics didn't just stand before kings, they came to them as equals and in some cases, towered over them, their virtue putting them above any kind of worldly power. Even in the case of Marcus Aurelius who was himself a king, don't we seem him greater than greater conquerors because he had first conquered himself? Musonius Rufus, who taught Epictetus, said that yes kings should be philosophers but more important, philosophers needed to be kingly people. By this he did not mean imperious and entitled.. He meant they had to be dignified and restrained. They had to be the kind of person that other people wanted to follow, they had to lead themselves first. The greatest of the Stoics were great because they were humble. Because they were decent. Because they did the right thing. Because they controlled the empire between their ears, as we say in The Girl Who Would Be Free. And in this—so diligent were they in their business and their philosophy—that they not only stood before kings, but stood above and apart from them. The same can be true for you. P.S. In just one week Ryan Holiday will be in Australia visiting Sydney and Melbourne for The Stoic Life tour! Come join the conversation and ask those questions you've been dying to ask about Stoicism, philosophy, books, and so much more. At each stop Ryan will meet with VIP ticket holders backstage to chat and take pictures after the show (get your VIP tickets while you still can!). You can also catch the Stoic Life tour in select European and Canadian cities later this year, too. Visit ryanholiday.net/tour/ to find out if that includes a city near you and grab your tickets today! | 
